Iruni Kalupahana JadeTimes Staff
I. Kalupahana is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Russia-Ukraine war
The U.S. President said he would be speaking with the Russian President on Tuesday in an effort to broker a solution to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. Talking to reporters from aboard Air Force One, the President reiterated that significant progress over the weekend was witnessed in the draft agreement, land and property being the possible sites of negotiation. The scheduled discussion was confirmed by a Kremlin spokesman, a potential breakthrough in peace efforts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently indicated readiness to a 30 day ceasefire offer by the U.S., although he stated that there should be more negotiations before a deal can be signed. Ukraine has already agreed to the initial offer, which calls for the war to end on all fronts at once and peace talks to start. The agreement was reached between Ukrainian officials and US negotiators during a meeting in Saudi Arabia. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Putin of allowing the war to continue for another week due to slow responses on the matter.
At the weekend, reports broke that a high number of Ukrainian troops had been surrounded in the Kursk border region after Russian troops had retaken several towns. This has been corroborated by both Russian state television and ex-President Donald Trump. However, the reports were debunked by Ukraine's General Staff on Friday, stating that there had been no encirclement. The Armed Forces of Ukraine were still reporting ongoing fighting and Russian air raids in the region.
In other weekend news, former President Donald Trump appointed General Keith Kellogg as his special envoy to Ukraine. Trump mentioned that Kellogg's good working relationship with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was the main reason behind the appointment. The appointment is considered part of a broader bid to increase diplomatic activity and backing for Ukraine in the current conflict.
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